Advocating for language and communication access for Michigan’s Children

The Michigan Coalition for Deaf, Hard of Hearing’s, and DeafBlind People’s Legislative Committee introduced Michigan House Bill 4944 and 4963, which are integral components of a collaborative legislative initiative aimed at advocating for language and communication access coverage for children in Michigan. The bills highlight the necessity of early intervention and access to hearing services, making it easier for families. Our mission is to raise awareness and advocate for these bills to pass in Michigan.

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Current Status: House has passed bills HB4944 & HB4963!
Next step: going to the SIHC or to the Senate for a vote

Why do we need Let MI Child Hear?

Thank you to Global Interpreting Services for allowing us to share their video.

Status Updates

  • 12/03/2024 House Update:
    • House has passed bills HB4944 & HB4963! Now we wait to see when it goes to the SIHC or to the Senate for a vote.
  • 02/07/2024 MHIC Update:
    • House Insurance Committee has passed bills HB4944 & HB4963! Now we wait to see when it goes to the House floor to be voted on.
  • 01/28/2024 MHIC Update:
    • House Insurance Committee will vote in February
  • 11/10/2023 MIHC Update:
    • House Insurance Committee now has two vacant seats that need to be filled. Committee will not reconvene until seats are filled. Could take up to 120 days to fill the seats. Now hoping for February or March vote. Stay tuned and continue to spread awareness.
  • 11/09/2023 MHIC Update:
    • House Insurance Committee has cancelled their session. Hoping for vote at 11/16 meeting.
  • 11/02/2023 MHIC Update:
    • House Insurance Committee has pushed the vote back another week.
  • 10/26/2023 MHIC Update:
    • House Insurance Committee has cancelled their session since the House cancelled their session.
  • 10/19/2023 MHIC Update:
    • House Insurance Committee took testimony on House Bill 4944 & 4963. The testimonies were very well received.

Show Your Support

If you support these bills, we urge you to send a short personalized email of support to your state representative. Members need to know their constituents are behind these bills. Remember to keep your memo short and clear.

Click Here for sample letters.

Next steps for us:
House Bills 4944 and 4963 have been passed by the House! We are now waiting for the bills to be brought to either the Senate Insurance Committee or to the Senate floor for a vote.

Please continue to spread awareness during this process. The letters and text messages are a vital way to show your Representative that you support these bills. See below for other ways to show your support.



Let MI Child Hear Bills (Passed the House, waiting on Seante Sponsors and Contacts)

There are approximately 400 children in Michigan every year who either have hearing loss or will acquire one by school age. With the assistance of hearing aids and early intervention services, the vast majority of these Deaf and Hard of Hearing children can achieve speech and language milestones equivalent to those of typically hearing children by the age of five. Currently, 28 states have enacted laws that ensure insurance coverage for children’s hearing aids. We are advocating for Michigan to join these states.

Michigan House Bill 4944 would require hearing aid coverage for children through eighteen years old. Michigan House Bill 4963 would require hearing related services and devices for children which include ear molds, remote microphone, speech and language pathology and audiology services. You can find detailed information about these bills below.


How Can You Get Involved?

Stay connected for the latest updates. These bills have been referred to the Committee on Insurance and Financial Services. We’ll need your support by contacting your State Representative to request their endorsement of these bills.

Two ways you can take direct action:

  • Use our templates to craft messages for your elected officials in support of these bills.
  • Use the “Text to to sign a support letter” feature to directly engage in support letter campaigns and show your support by texting “follow letmichildhear” to 50409. The bot will then guide you and send a letter of support on your behalf to your local Representative.


Below, you’ll find a collection of resources designed to empower you in taking action. If you’re unsure who to contact, click the buttons below to locate your senator or state representative. If you use the text messaging method, it will automatically find your Representative for you.

Letter Templates for MS Word and PDF

Click Here to Find Your State Senator

Text to send a letter of support to your Senator.

For letter of support details you can send a text message of ‘Follow letmichildhear‘ to 50409 to receive updates and send a letter of support. The text messaging bot will walk you through the process and send a letter of support on your behalf to the elected officials that represent your district.

If you know how to scan a QR code with your phone, this will make it easier. Or you can click one of the letters below.

Request a discharge to go directly to Senate for vote:

If you are a Deaf and Hard of Hearing ally:

Professional requests to support bills 4944 and 4963 - Text SIGN PFKCAF to 50409

If you are a family member:

Text information to support petition for professional requests to support bills 4944 and 4963

If you are a Hard of Hearing or Deaf Constituent:

DHH Constituent requests support for bill 4944 and 4963 - Text SIGN PSBMTM to 50409